Red Dead Redemption 2 Publisher Defends Single-Player Games

With traditionally single-player game studios like Bethesda Softworks and BioWare showcasing persistent-world multiplayer games at E3 2018, single-player-only games' viability is once again a topic of discussion.

But despite his company's most popular game ever benefiting from a multiplayer mode, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick still sees value in single-player experiences. Speaking to GamesBeat, Zelnick said he appreciates high-quality single-player games with strong stories and characters. He's not deaf to all the talk of single-player games dying off, but he isn't buying into that line of thinking.

"Historically, in entertainment, people take positions like that, but there are also people saying that it won’t work if it’s not a free-to-play battle royale," said Zelnick. "People really are saying that, and not even tongue-in-cheek. I don’t buy that. Single-player, in my opinion, is not dead, not even close. Companies that feel like they’ll just avoid the hard work of building a story and characters and go right to where the money is in multiplayer, I don’t think that’s going to work. I’d be surprised."

Exit Theatre Mode

That isn't to say Zelnick doesn't see the value in multiplayer modes. With Grand Theft Auto 5, he actually thinks developer Rockstar North initially sold players on the campaign, which in turn motivated them to try multiplayer.

"I think that’s what happened with Grand Theft Auto Online," said Zelnick. "We certainly feel like there’s no evidence that people don’t want a single-player, because they’re still playing Grand Theft Auto 5."